Knowing your HIV status is still an indispensable step towards obtaining treatment and ending the epidemic. Self-testing is recommended by the World Health Organisation as a complementary testing strategy to reach as many people as possible and accelerate the achievement of UNAID’s 95-95-95 objectives, especially the first one in a region where a third of people living with HIV do not know their status and so cannot access treatment. The year 2020 was notable for an upsurge in the distribution of HIV self-testing kits (with a decline in March and April followed by an adjustment due to the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in West Africa). Some 150,000 self-testing kits were dispensed, more than 70 % in secondary distribution, 63 % to sex workers and 23 % to men who have sexual relations with other men. Over 560 healthcare professionals were trained. In the three participating countries, close attention was also paid to the transition and scaling-up process. The Covid-19 crisis had an impact on the project, mainly on research activities, which were significantly slowed down in 2020. Yet the first research results of the 5 work packages (qualitative survey of key populations, anthropological survey on the testing of partners of PLHIV, coupons survey, economic component and modelling component) and their publication was possible. With project partners who are provided with personal protective equipment, adjustments have been made to maintain the distribution of self-testing kits in the midst of a health crisis. In addition, the ATLAS project generated requests for technical assistance in the West and Central Africa region and continued its sub-regional and international outreach activities through participation in webinars organised in collaboration with the STAR programme (programme for the promotion of self-testing in Eastern and Southern Africa), the WHO and UNAIDS, and at the AIDS 2020 and AFRAVIH conferences. ProjeCt ATLAS COUNTRIES Senegal, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire self-testing kits distributed in 2020 (of a total of 176,165 since the start of the project) broken down as follows : Côte d’Ivoire: 74,892, Mali: 56,163, Senegal: 18,860. Annual Report 2020 II p.13 Read more DEVELOPING COMPREHENSIVE APPROACHES TO THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS Avec les projets ATLAS, RUCHE, EMPOWER, PROSSAN, Solthis poursuit son action et continue à développer des approches globales de lutte contre le sida qui permettent d’atteindre l’objectif des trois 90 puis des trois 95 fixés par la communauté internationale à savoir que d’ici à 2030, 95 % des personnes connaissent leur statut sérologique, 95 % des personnes séropositives aient accès aux traitements, et 95 % des personnes traitées aient une charge virale supprimée, signe que l’infection est sous contrôle. Solthis poursuit son action pour l’accès au dépistage, au suivi efficace de la maladie pour réduire les échecs thérapeutiques et la mobilisation des usager·ère·s et de la société civile pour adapter les soins aux besoins réels des personnes vivant avec le VIH. This complementary strategy has made it possible to reach people who previously did not have access to testing services services, through secondary distribution. We have seen an increase in testing among the partners of female sex workers partners of female sex work-ers. To close the gap of the gap in the 1st 90, we need to encourage the scaling up of self-testing. Dr Aminata Saran Sidibé, Soutoura association, Mali DEPLOYMENT OF HIV SELF-TESTING IN WEST AFRICA